For the entirety of Charlotte’s life (26 whole months minus the first two, because we were hermits and first-time parents who feared the plague if we took our baby out into open air), the hubs and I have been going out to eat with the Little Miss. Going out to eat is what we do. We are foodies in our family. Going to restaurants is our entertainment, so from the time she was a newborn, I just had to figure it out: how to dine out with a little one. Granted things have changed quite a bit the older she has gotten, but along the way, I’ve picked up a few things that have worked for us. Here are my best tips for staying sane and getting through a meal while dining out with your toddler.
ONE.
a high chair cover
Every since Charlotte has been able to sit up, we have used a high chair cover like this one, the Itzy Ritzy high chair cover. I find that she is more comfortable with it since it has a cushion. It also protects her from the chair’s grimy self. Win-win.
TWO.
We love the Neat Solutions Table Topper and have been using them for quite some time. It makes me not feel so bad when the babe makes a mess on the table, because hello, a baby eats with his or her hands for quite some time, and messes are part of the territory. The clean up is easy peasy with the table topper. Not to mention that it’s bright and colorful with puzzles and pictures for re-dircection (more on that in a second).
I also try to remember to bring a bib. Like I said, toddler meal-times can get messy, and the clothes will most definitely end up with food on it. If you forget a bib, like I have on multiple occasions, just use the dinner napkin and secure it like an old cowboy’s bandana around the neck or use a paper towel stuffed down the front of the shirt. I had to learn that the hard way.
THREE.
snacks
FOUR.
Quite a few restaurants hand out colors with their kid’s menu which is sheer genius. Charlotte is definitely a happy camper when she has something to do. You could always bring your own triangular colors (so they won’t fall off the table) and coloring book or even the Melissa & Doug Water Wow to keep your little babe occupied. And when all else fails, electronics are acceptable in my book. I used to think I would never whip one of those bad boys out, like my phone or iPad, but sometimes you just do what you have to do.
type of restaurant
I will not take this sweet girl of mine to a fancy restaurant just yet. We’re still working on table etiquette after all. We are all about the family friendly variety of restaurants, and I am a-okay with that. Any restaurant that is loud is on the list of our weekly rotation. Welcome to parenthood.
SIX.
Another thing to consider is timing. When she was a baby, we would take her in her newborn carrier and it was a breeze (of course I didn’t think so then, but hindsight is always 20/20). I would feed her right before we would go out, and then I would hope she would sleep through our meal, as she stayed covered up in her carrier. This often meant we would take her at not so normal dining hours. We used to go during the 4 o’clock hour when she wasn’t even a year old, and those made for some fun dinners. But it worked for us. Now that she’s a full blown toddler, we actually go out to eat at typical lunch or dinner times. If it’s close to nap time or bed time, we don’t go. Simple as that. The older she’s gotten, the more flexible we’ve become, but her schedule really does dictate when we go.
Because she’s now a toddler, we “practice” going out to eat by setting up a routine at home. We have mealtimes, and she’s accustomed to sitting at the table in her high chair and eating food like mommy and daddy do. Toddlers are such little sponges and imitators. This has definitely been beneficial. Since we go out to eat often, she also knows what to expect. She knows that her seat cover goes in the high chair, her table topper goes on the table, and that she has to sit…most of the time.
redirection games
Something new that we’ve tried when Little Miss Fussy Fuss wants to fuss is redirection. “Can you count to three? Say your ABCs. Say (fill in the blank with an animal). What does a ____ say?” You get the idea. It will generally buy us some time if the toddler tyrant is having a meltdown. It’s worked on several occasions.
Life with a toddler can be tricky sometimes, but dining out doesn’t have to be. Will all of these seven things be full-proof of a successful and peaceful meal out every time? No. That’s just life. But having a plan never hurt anybody. Like good old Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” And ain’t nobody got time for that.
Today’s blog post is part of the New Mama 101. Be sure to check it out if you’re new around here.
And for my veteran moms, what are some of your tips and tricks to dining out with your little one?
Awesome tips! We also love to eat out, and while we do skip white-tablecloth restaurants for now, it’s still important for us to teach Camille how to act in a restaurant! I agree that going early in the evening (5:30/5:45 for us now) helps avoid meltdowns. Plus you’re often surrounded by other parents of babies/toddlers who are desperate for a meal out and are also juggling pacifiers, crayons, and flying snack cups :)
Thanks so much, April! I totally agree. We really are trying to teach her politeness and table manners already, and it seems like most it is slowly paying off. We do have the occasional case of crying, but that is just toddler life. I just hope these things continue work for us! ;) Happy Tuesday, my dear!
Love these tips! And how cute is Charlotte in her pig tails and headband?!?!?! I remember those newborn days when Hudson would just sleep in his carseat the whole time we were out but I was so stressed about it….and now that seems so much easier than dealing with a demanding toddler!
Thanks, sweet Julie! I just love that picture of her. It’s one of my faves. :) Yeah, I totally would get stressed and want to rush through our meal, now looking back, I’m like, “those were the easy days.” Lol. Toddlers are tough! But we can outsmart them, can’t we? I sure hope so. Hope you’re feeling great this week!
Great tips my dear! We are big with the games and snacks. Baby girl is pretty good about going out to eat so we’re lucky.
Thanks, Tiffany! Happy to hear that your little one is doing well in the going out to eat department too. I sure hope Charlotte continues to be a good little diner, but the last couple of times, she has been in a foul mood. I hope it’s just teething. Lawd, help me!
Great tips! I don’t think I would add anything to this list :) We too love to dine out but we’ve had to scale it back a bit due to our budget. Scarlett loves going out to eat and she’s usually pretty well behaved. I find she does better now that she sits in a booster seat rather than a high chair.
Thanks, my dear! We probably go out once or twice a week, but I’m sure we could scale back. However, it’s really our only entertainment. Lol. I’ll have to see how she acts in a booster. I think she would be more fidgety and want to get out even more than she does right now. Always keeping me on my toes! Hope you’re doing well, friend!
We have been taking Ellie out since she was a week old!! I think that introducing the concept early, maintaining routine and expectations, is key to success. You’ve nailed down all the points – though Ellie always pulls out the napkin from her collar when I forget a bib. I need one or ten of those placemats! Genius. I love seeing other families bringing their kiddos out to eat it makes me so sad when other parents haven’t set table manner boundaries and then deny their kiddos a chance to eat out because it’s just too difficult. I love your quote at the end that’s basically my parenting philosophy!! Can we please be neighbors?!!
Thanks, Ashley! :) Wouldn’t that be nice if all our blogging friends were our neighbors? So much fun! And yes, those placemats are so great. I forgot how I learned about them. I’m pretty sure a blog somewhere and then I saw them at Target. Hope you are off to a great week!
Love these tips! And how cute is Charlotte in her pig tails and headband?!?!?! I remember those newborn days when Hudson would just sleep in his carseat the whole time we were out but I was so stressed about it….and now that seems so much easier than dealing with a demanding toddler!
Great tips my dear! We are big with the games and snacks. Baby girl is pretty good about going out to eat so we're lucky.
Great tips! I don't think I would add anything to this list :) We too love to dine out but we've had to scale it back a bit due to our budget. Scarlett loves going out to eat and she's usually pretty well behaved. I find she does better now that she sits in a booster seat rather than a high chair.
We have been taking Ellie out since she was a week old!! I think that introducing the concept early, maintaining routine and expectations, is key to success. You've nailed down all the points – though Ellie always pulls out the napkin from her collar when I forget a bib. I need one or ten of those placemats! Genius. I love seeing other families bringing their kiddos out to eat it makes me so sad when other parents haven't set table manner boundaries and then deny their kiddos a chance to eat out because it's just too difficult. I love your quote at the end that's basically my parenting philosophy!! Can we please be neighbors?!!
Thanks so much, April! I totally agree. We really are trying to teach her politeness and table manners already, and it seems like most it is slowly paying off. We do have the occasional case of crying, but that is just toddler life. I just hope these things continue work for us! ;) Happy Tuesday, my dear!
Thanks, sweet Julie! I just love that picture of her. It's one of my faves. :) Yeah, I totally would get stressed and want to rush through our meal, now looking back, I'm like, "those were the easy days." Lol. Toddlers are tough! But we can outsmart them, can't we? I sure hope so. Hope you're feeling great this week!
Thanks, Tiffany! Happy to hear that your little one is doing well in the going out to eat department too. I sure hope Charlotte continues to be a good little diner, but the last couple of times, she has been in a foul mood. I hope it's just teething. Lawd, help me!
Thanks, my dear! We probably go out once or twice a week, but I'm sure we could scale back. However, it's really our only entertainment. Lol. I'll have to see how she acts in a booster. I think she would be more fidgety and want to get out even more than she does right now. Always keeping me on my toes! Hope you're doing well, friend!
Thanks, Ashley! :) Wouldn't that be nice if all our blogging friends were our neighbors? So much fun! And yes, those placemats are so great. I forgot how I learned about them. I'm pretty sure a blog somewhere and then I saw them at Target. Hope you are off to a great week!
This is a great list, my friend. Palmer usually does quite well in restaurants. We have been known to pull out the iPhone’s too, but who hasn’t. And more often than not, I have to whip out the snacks too!
Thanks, Alycia! :) I always use my phone as a last resort because usually her hands are dirty, but I’m definitely not against it. And snacks are always in my bag! :)
This is a great list, my friend. Palmer usually does quite well in restaurants. We have been known to pull out the iPhone's too, but who hasn't. And more often than not, I have to whip out the snacks too!
This is a great list! Also a cup full of ice with a spoon always works! They chill the spoon, then suck on it! For some reason my son LOVED this as a toddler and my daughter does too! Strange, but it works!
Thanks, Lauren! :) And your tips sounds awesome! I’m definitely going to try that one out. I’m sure C would be entertained for a good while. Hope you’re having a great week!
Thanks, Alycia! :) I always use my phone as a last resort because usually her hands are dirty, but I'm definitely not against it. And snacks are always in my bag! :)
This is a great list! Also a cup full of ice with a spoon always works! They chill the spoon, then suck on it! For some reason my son LOVED this as a toddler and my daughter does too! Strange, but it works!
Thanks, Lauren! :) And your tips sounds awesome! I'm definitely going to try that one out. I'm sure C would be entertained for a good while. Hope you're having a great week!
Smart ideas! I’ve been a nanny for years and this is always my biggest fear. Thanks for these ideas! I really like the redirection game idea. I may try that for other situations, too. Thanks for joining us for Hump Day Happenings!
Thank you, Jenna! I used to do redirection with my students, and now I do it with my kid. It works most of the time. :)
Smart ideas! I've been a nanny for years and this is always my biggest fear. Thanks for these ideas! I really like the redirection game idea. I may try that for other situations, too. Thanks for joining us for Hump Day Happenings!
Such a great post!! With three kids, we’ve definitely had to come up with some great solutions for getting through dinner out! These are awesome :) xoxo
Thanks, Tabitha! I’m sure you have all sorts of great advice, too. Hope you’re having a fabulous week!
Such a great post!! With three kids, we've definitely had to come up with some great solutions for getting through dinner out! These are awesome :) xoxo
Nice work :D This is a great post! I think I can definitely work on the practice at home element. The free grazing/picnic times can be fun…but messy! Thanks for linking up with Tuesday Talk!
Thanks so much, Andrea! Yes, practicing at home has been super important to us. Not foolproof, but she’s definitely a little sponge right now so we’re taking that and running with it. Hope you are having a great week!
Thank you, Jenna! I used to do redirection with my students, and now I do it with my kid. It works most of the time. :)
Thanks, Tabitha! I'm sure you have all sorts of great advice, too. Hope you're having a fabulous week!
Thanks so much, Andrea! Yes, practicing at home has been super important to us. Not foolproof, but she's definitely a little sponge right now so we're taking that and running with it. Hope you are having a great week!
I have two kids and with years of patience and practice they are trained to eat at any restaurant.
You have great tips. Will be useful for many parents who think twice before taking their kids to a restaurant.